Container

ABSTRACT

A container having a body member formed as a flat sheet that is folded into a sleeve-like shape and latched together. End cap members are retained at opposite ends of the body member by detent means provided on the end cap and body members. Locating bosses provided in the end cap inhibit deflection of the body member from the end cap member and serve to maintain the detent position of the detent means.

United States Patent [191 Gatter June 18, 1974 1 CONTAINER [75] Inventor: Adelaide L. Gatter, House Springs,

[73] Assignee: The Pure Co., Inc., St. Louis, Mo.

[22] Filed: Jan. 31, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 221,995

[ 52] U.S. CI 206/.5, 206/45.3l, 206/DIG. 806, 220/60 R, 220/62, 220/83, 229/16 R,

[51] Int. Cl A611 9/04, B65d 85/70 [58] Field of Search 229/6 A, 6 R, 16 R, 23 R, 229/23 HT, 43, 48 R; 220/4 F, 4 R, 62, 82,

83, 60 R; 206/.5, 45.31, DIG. 8; 2.39/57 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 707,866 8/1902 Proctor 229/23 R 1,791,956 2/1931 Cowles 229/23 R 2,140,996 12/1938 Heifetz 229/48 R 2,352,075 6/1944 Brownstein 229/6 R 2,984,382 5/1961 Florsheim, Jr. 220/60 R 3,236,410 2/1966 Swartz 220/62 3,515,302 6/1970 Curran 220/4 R Primary Examiner-William 1. Price Assistant Examiner-Stephen Marcus Attorney, Agent, or Firm-John D. Pope, III

[5 7] ABSTRACT A container having a body member fonned as a flat sheet that is folded into a sleeve-like shape and latched together. End cap members are retained at 0p posite ends of the body member by detent means provided on the end cap and body members. Locating bosses provided in the end cap inhibit deflection of the body member from the end cap member and serve to maintain the detent position of the detent means.

15 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures CONTAINER able container for holding a sublimating material.

Reusable containers for cakes of sublimating materials such as paradichloro-benzene or naphthalene are well known and are available in varying sizes and shapes. The container is usually provided with apertures to permit outside air to circulate around the cake when the cake is disposed inside. One type of apertured container for holding such a cake is generally formed by extruding a suitable material into an elongated tubular shape having an open end. The extruded tube is then provided with apertures that are usually formed in another manufacturing operation separate from the extrusion operation. The container is generally closed by slipping a cap onto the open end of the tube. The cap can be retained on the tube by providing any conventional detenting arrangement, which arrangement usually requires another manufacturing operation.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a novel container having a main body portion with apertures and detent means for retaining an end cap, the body portion, apertures and detent means being all formed in one manufacturing operation; a novel sleeve-type container having a main body portion that is developed from a flat sheet; a novel container having a main body portion that is developed from a flat sheet and latched together to form a sleevelike shape; a novel sleeve-type container having a main body portion that is latched together and includes detent means for retaining a detachable end cap; a novel container having a main body portion that is folded into a sleeve-like shape and is unfoldable only when end caps provided at ends of the sleeve are removed; a novel sleeve-type container which is attractive in appearance and economical to manufacture; and a novel method for containing an object. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The present invention relates to a novel sleeve-type container of generally polygonal cross-section used in closets or other indoor areas for holding a sublimating material. In the preferred embodiment of my invention the container comprises an open-ended body member having a square cross-section and caps detachably secured to the body member at each open end thereof. The body member is developed from a flat sheet of plastic material that is folded and latched together to form a generally square hollow structure. Detent means are provided on the end caps and body member to detachably retain the caps on the body member. The end caps are arranged on the body member to prevent unlatching and unfolding of the body member when the caps are positioned thereon.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions and methods hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container incorporating the present invention, an end cap member of the container being shown detached therefrom;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a body member of the container in an unfolded condition;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the body member in a flat unfolded condition;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the detached end cap member; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings fora detailed description of the present invention, a container incorporating one embodiment thereof is generally indicated by reference numeral 10. Container 10 comprises an elongated sleeve-like body member 12 having a generally square cross-section. Container 10 further includes end cap members 14 and 16 arranged to be pushed onto corresponding opposite end portions 18 and 20 of body member 12. Body member 12 is formed of any suitable material such as plastic and comprises side walls 22, 24, 26 and 28, which define a hollow container space that is not shown. Side walls 22, 24, 26 and 28 each include spaced groups 30 and 32 of diamond-shaped openings 34 and a star-shaped aperture 37 disposed between groups 30 and 32.

Container 10 also includes detent means for retaining end cap members 14 and 16 on body member 12. The aforementioned detent means are in part constituted as an elongated boss-like abutment portion 36 provided at opposite end portions 18 and 20 of side walls 22, 24, 26 and 28. Sidewalls 22 and 24 are mechanically secured together by latch means comprising recesses 38 in an elongated edge portion 42 of side wall 24. Each recess 38 includes an entry opening 40 of reduced size. A plurality of recess-engaging portions 44 corresponding in number to the number of recesses 38 protrude from a free edge portion 46 of side wall 22. Latchretaining arms 48 are provided at a free end of recessengaging portions 44.

End cap member 14, which is formed of any suitable material such as plastic, is of complementary crosssectional configuration with body member 12. End cap member 14 includes peripheral sidewalls 50, 52, 54 and 56 extending from a base 58. End cap member side walls 50, 52, 54 and 56 include inner surfaces 60, 62, 64 and 66, respectively, each having an elongated abutment portion 68 at the free ends of walls 50, 52, 54 and 56. Abutment portions 68 constitute another part of the detent means for retaining end cap members 14 and 16 on body member 12. A groove is formed in sur faces 60, 62, 64 and 66 below each abutment portion 68 and corner clearance portions 72 are formed adjacent the ends of abutment portions 68. Grooves 70 and corner clearances 72 define the height and width of abutment portions 68. Base 58 includes a star-shaped aperture 74 and is further provided with protruding cylindrical locating bosses 76 at each base corner, locating bosses 76 being spaced from end cap member side walls 50, 52, 54 and 56 a predetermined amount.

End cap member 16 is structurally identical to end cap member 14 but includes suspension means such as a loop of string 80 secured to end cap member 16 through aperture 74 in any suitable known conventional manner as by fastening a clip (not shown) to the loop such that the clip bears against base 58 of end cap member 16 when container 10 is suspended by string 80.

Although body member 12 is of hollow sleeve-like shape, it is molded as a substantially flat sheet of plastic 82, with star-shaped apertures 37, openings 34 and three folding creases 84 being simultaneously formed in the molding operation. Sheet 82 is folded at creases 84 such that recess-engaging portions 44 on edge 46 engage recesses 38 on edge 42, thereby latching sheet 82 together to form the desired sleeve-like shape of body member 12. Entry opening 40 of recess 38 is sized such that recess-engaging portion 44 is press-fitted into opening 40 prior to being seated in recess 38. This press-fitting arrangement restrains but does not prevent sidewall 22 from pivoting away from edge 42 of sidewall 24. Latch-retaining arms 48 restrain sidewall 24 from pivoting away from edge 46 of sidewall 22. To unfold body member 12 it is necessary to remove end cap members 14,16 therefrom and to pivot sidewall 22 away from edge 42 of sidewall 24, thereby disengaging recess engaging portions 44 from recesses 38 and entry openings 40.

In use of container cap members 14 and 16 are pushed onto end portions 18 and 20, respectively, of body member 12 such that abutment portions 68 move against, over and past abutment portions 36 of body member 12. Detachment of end cap members 14,16 from body member 12 is restrained but not prevented by interference between abutment portions 68 and 36. As end cap members 14,16 and body member 12 are formed of resilient plastic, the force required to push the end cap member abutment portions 68 over and past body member abutment portions 36 can be easily applied in manual fashion.

Container 10 is ideally suited for containing an object such as sublimating material (not shown), which material is disposed in body member 12 prior to covering both ends thereof. Container 10 is normally suspended from a hook, hanger or the like by appropriately mounting loop 80 thereon. It should be noted that disposition of either end cap member 14,16 on body member 12 prevents unfolding of body member 12. Locating bosses 76 on base 58 of end caps 14,16 are spaced from the end cap sidewalls by an amount which exceeds the thickness of the body member sidewalls. Thus, when end caps 14,16 are positioned on body member 12 the free end portions of body member side walls 22, 24, 26 and 28 are disposed between locating bosses 76 and end cap sidewalls 50, 52, 54 and 56, thereby inhibiting deflection of the body member sidewalls from the end cap member sidewalls. In this manner locating bosses 76 serve to maintain abutment portions 36 and 68 in abutting relationship. Star-shaped apertures 36,74 and diamond-shaped openings 34 permit outside air to pass into the space enclosed by container 10, thereby enabling air to circulate around the object disposed therein. The apertures and perforations also provide the container with a decorative ornamental appearance and, if desired, can be arranged in other suitable patterns.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that body member 12 can be of triangular shape, hexagonal shape or almost any polygonal shape. Some advantages of the container that are evident from the foregoing description include a container body formed by folding a flat sheet of material into a sleeve-like shape. Another advantage is that locating bosses in the end cap inhibit deflection of the body member sidewalls from the end cap member sidewalls, thereby helping to maintain detent means on the end cap and body members in abuttable relationship. A still further advantage among others is a reusable container having a collapsible body member that can be fashioned entirely by molding.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A container comprising a hollow body member having folding sidewalls formed into a sleeve-like shape, said body member having an open end portion at one end thereof, latch means detachably joining two of said sidewalls together, and a first cap member detachably affixed to said open end portion of said body member, said end cap member being of complementary cross-sectional configuration with said body member, said end cap member having sidewalls corresponding to the sidewalls of said body member and a base surface for covering the open end of said body member, said end cap member further including locating bosses on said base surface spaced from the sidewalls of said end cap member such that positioning of said end cap member on said body member locates the sidewalls of said body member between at least one of said locating bosses and a corresponding sidewall of said end cap member, to inhibit deflection of said body member sidewalls from said end cap member sidewalls.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said latch means include a recess in one of said walls and a recess-engaging portion on the other said wall, said recess-engaging portion being detachable from said recess when said cap member is removed from said body member, unfolding of said sidewalls being prevented when a cap member is positioned on said one end portion of said body member.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2 wherein said recess is formed in an edge portion of said one of said walls, said recess-engaging portion being formed as a protrusion from a corresponding edge portion of the other said wall, said protrusion engaging said recess when the edge portion of one of said walls meets the edge portion of the other said wall.

4. A container comprising a hollow body member having folding sidewalls formed into a sleeve-like shape, said body member having an open end portion at one end thereof, latch means detachably joining two of said sidewalls together, and a first cap member detachably affixed to said open end portion of said body member, at least one of said sidewalls and said cap member including detent means for retaining said cap member on said body member, said cap member and said body member being formed of resilient material, said detent means including abutting portions on each of said cap member and body member arranged such that disposition of said cap member on said body member causes one of said abutting portions to move over and past the other said abutting portion, detachment of said cap member from said body member being restrained by abuttable interference beweeen said abutting portions, said cap member including a base for covering the open end of said body member, said cap member further including locating bosses on said base, said locating bosses being spaced from the sidwalls of said cap member such that positioning of said cap member on said body member locates the sidewalls of said body member between at least one of said locating bosses and a corresponding sidewall of said cap member to inhibit deflection of said body member sidewalls from said cap member sidewalls, thereby maintaining the abutting portions on said cap member and said body member in abuttable relationship.

5. A container as claimed in claim 4 wherein said body member is open at an end opposite said one end and includes a second cap member covering said opposite end.

6. A container as claimed in claim 5 wherein said second cap member is detachable from said opposite end.

7. A container as claimed in claim 4 wherein said latch means include a recess in one of said sidewalls and a recess-engaging portion in the other said sidewall, said recess-engaging portion being detachable from said recess when said cap member is removed from the end portion of said body member.

8. A container as claimed in claim 4 and further including suspension means for hanging said container in a suspended position.

9. A container as claimed in claim 8 wherein said suspension means are provided in said cap.

10. A container as claimed in claim 9 wherein said suspension means are detachable from said cap.

11. A container as claimed in claim 10 wherein said cap includes a perforation, said suspension means comprising a loop member having one end portion retained in said perforation, the remainder of said loop member being disposed outwardly of said cap.

12. A container as claimed in claim 4 wherein said body member includes folding creases defining said sidewalls.

13. A container as claimed in claim 12 wherein the interior portion of said body member defines a space, said body member including perforations provided in said sidewalls to permit outside air to pass through said space, said folding creases and said perforations being molded simultaneously.

14. A container as claimed in claim 13 formed of plastic.

15. A container comprising a hollow body member having folding sidewalls formed into a sleeve-like shape, said body member having an open end portion at one end thereof, latch means detachably joining two of said sidewalls together, and a first cap member detachably affixed to said open end portion of said body members, said end cap member being of complementary cross-sectional configuration with said body member, said end cap member having sidewalls corresponding to the sidewalls of said body member and a base surface for covering the open end of said body member, said container further including detent means for detachably retaining said cap member on said body member, said detent means comprising an abutment portion on a cap member sidewall and a corresponding abutment portion on a body member sidewall, the abutment portions of each of said members arranged such that disposition of said end cap member on said body member causes one of said abutment portions to move over and past the other said abutment portion, detachment of said cap member from said body member being restrained by interference between said abutment portions. 

1. A container comprising a hollow body member having folding sidewalls formed into a sleeve-like shape, said body member having aN open end portion at one end thereof, latch means detachably joining two of said sidewalls together, and a first cap member detachably affixed to said open end portion of said body member, said end cap member being of complementary crosssectional configuration with said body member, said end cap member having sidewalls corresponding to the sidewalls of said body member and a base surface for covering the open end of said body member, said end cap member further including locating bosses on said base surface spaced from the sidewalls of said end cap member such that positioning of said end cap member on said body member locates the sidewalls of said body member between at least one of said locating bosses and a corresponding sidewall of said end cap member, to inhibit deflection of said body member sidewalls from said end cap member sidewalls.
 2. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said latch means include a recess in one of said walls and a recess-engaging portion on the other said wall, said recess-engaging portion being detachable from said recess when said cap member is removed from said body member, unfolding of said sidewalls being prevented when a cap member is positioned on said one end portion of said body member.
 3. A container as claimed in claim 2 wherein said recess is formed in an edge portion of said one of said walls, said recess-engaging portion being formed as a protrusion from a corresponding edge portion of the other said wall, said protrusion engaging said recess when the edge portion of one of said walls meets the edge portion of the other said wall.
 4. A container comprising a hollow body member having folding sidewalls formed into a sleeve-like shape, said body member having an open end portion at one end thereof, latch means detachably joining two of said sidewalls together, and a first cap member detachably affixed to said open end portion of said body member, at least one of said sidewalls and said cap member including detent means for retaining said cap member on said body member, said cap member and said body member being formed of resilient material, said detent means including abutting portions on each of said cap member and body member arranged such that disposition of said cap member on said body member causes one of said abutting portions to move over and past the other said abutting portion, detachment of said cap member from said body member being restrained by abuttable interference beweeen said abutting portions, said cap member including a base for covering the open end of said body member, said cap member further including locating bosses on said base, said locating bosses being spaced from the sidwalls of said cap member such that positioning of said cap member on said body member locates the sidewalls of said body member between at least one of said locating bosses and a corresponding sidewall of said cap member to inhibit deflection of said body member sidewalls from said cap member sidewalls, thereby maintaining the abutting portions on said cap member and said body member in abuttable relationship.
 5. A container as claimed in claim 4 wherein said body member is open at an end opposite said one end and includes a second cap member covering said opposite end.
 6. A container as claimed in claim 5 wherein said second cap member is detachable from said opposite end.
 7. A container as claimed in claim 4 wherein said latch means include a recess in one of said sidewalls and a recess-engaging portion in the other said sidewall, said recess-engaging portion being detachable from said recess when said cap member is removed from the end portion of said body member.
 8. A container as claimed in claim 4 and further including suspension means for hanging said container in a suspended position.
 9. A container as claimed in claim 8 wherein said suspension means are provided in said cap.
 10. A container as claimed in claim 9 wherein said suspension means are detachable from said cap.
 11. A container as claimed in claim 10 wherein said cap includes a perforation, said suspension means comprising a loop member having one end portion retained in said perforation, the remainder of said loop member being disposed outwardly of said cap.
 12. A container as claimed in claim 4 wherein said body member includes folding creases defining said sidewalls.
 13. A container as claimed in claim 12 wherein the interior portion of said body member defines a space, said body member including perforations provided in said sidewalls to permit outside air to pass through said space, said folding creases and said perforations being molded simultaneously.
 14. A container as claimed in claim 13 formed of plastic.
 15. A container comprising a hollow body member having folding sidewalls formed into a sleeve-like shape, said body member having an open end portion at one end thereof, latch means detachably joining two of said sidewalls together, and a first cap member detachably affixed to said open end portion of said body members, said end cap member being of complementary cross-sectional configuration with said body member, said end cap member having sidewalls corresponding to the sidewalls of said body member and a base surface for covering the open end of said body member, said container further including detent means for detachably retaining said cap member on said body member, said detent means comprising an abutment portion on a cap member sidewall and a corresponding abutment portion on a body member sidewall, the abutment portions of each of said members arranged such that disposition of said end cap member on said body member causes one of said abutment portions to move over and past the other said abutment portion, detachment of said cap member from said body member being restrained by interference between said abutment portions. 